Snails has a goofy manner of speech which, in contrast to Snips' higher voice, is quite low and slow. This tone and his use of the word "eh" is reminiscent of a stereotypical Canadian accent.

Both Snails, as well as his best friend Snips, are named after the traditional nursery rhyme What Are Little Boys Made Of?. A version of the verse goes:

What are little boys made of?

What are little boys made of?

Snips and Snails and Puppy Dogs' tails

That's what little boys are made of.

According to Lauren Faust, originally Snips and Snails' sizes were reversed; Snips was the bigger one and Snails was the smaller one.

Depiction in the series

Season one

Snails first appears in Boast Busters, where his friend Snips sweeps Spike up over his horn when they both run to see Trixie. After Trixie's show, both he and Snips adoringly pester her to tell them the story of how she defeated the ursa major, but she declines. Following a conversation with Spike about the subject, they venture into the Everfree Forest to bring an ursa major to Ponyville to watch Trixie defeat it.

"Why is it that they call it a flea market when they don't really sell fleas?"

— Snails talking to Snips

Snails lights up his horn in Boast Busters.

When they're in the forest, Snails uses his horn to illuminate their surroundings, although this takes some effort on his part and sounds like a generator sputtering. The light bothers the ursa, who begins chasing the ponies back into Ponyville. Later, Snips and Snails are shocked to find that Trixie made up her previous claims, and greatly embarrassed when Twilight Sparkle points out that it was their fault for bringing the minor, which they mistook for a major, into town, and that it was only cranky for having its sleep disturbed. They humbly accept their punishment for unleashing it.

In the episode, The Show Stoppers, he and Snips perform a magic trick for the talent show which Snails ruins by eating the carrots that Snips was about to reveal. When they win their 'Best Magic Act' medallion Snips comments that his medallion is shinier. A clearly annoyed Snails replies his is bigger. Snips continues by saying his is heavier.

Season two

Snails has an another non-speaking cameo during a field trip in The Return of Harmony Part 1. Remaining in the background, he doesn't seem too happy to be attending this field trip.

In The Cutie Pox, Snips and Snails marvel at Apple Bloom's hooping skills along with the rest of the school foals and try learning from her how to do it themselves. When she suddenly gets a second cutie mark, this time for spinning plates, they challenge her to demonstrate it, which she does.

In Ponyville Confidential, he and Snips are first seen complimenting Featherweight on his cutie mark. Later, Sweetie Belle discovers them together, fighting over how to get gum out of their coats. Snails kicks Snips to see if the gum will get off, but Snips whiplashes back, causing the gum to bind them tighter together. Snails begins to scream hysterically for the gum to be removed. Sweetie Belle asks Featherweight to take their picture, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders use them as their first story. The two take it in stride, happy to be featured in the paper and have the gum removed with patches of their coats removed in the process. When the Cutie Mark Crusaders look for another story, Snips and Snails get themselves stuck in gum again, but the Crusaders decide not to write the same story twice.

Season three

Snails as an elderly pony in Magic Duel.

In the episode Magic Duel, he and Snips appear once again with Trixie. This time, Trixie becomes angry with their antics and fuses their horns together. She later separates them, but uses them as targets for her age magic, making Snails an old pony, and Snips a baby. When Snails becomes older, his cutie mark changes to an elderly-looking snail. Later in the episode, Trixie uses them to pull her wheel-less carriage, which she eventually converts into a massive golden bed. Snails comments that Trixie is "getting weirder and weirder!" Trixie uses them for her age magic again near the end of the episode, this time changing them both into babies.

Season four

Snails appears in Flight to the Finish along with Snips. When Ms. Harshwhinny informs Cheerilee's class of the flag-carrying auditions for the Equestria Games, Snips and Snails entertain the idea of auditioning, to the ridicule of their classmates.